Family Reunion
by Destiel0205
Summary: Merlin and Arthur are forced to go to a Pendragon family reunion, but Arthur has a surprise to make it all better. Modern au. Merlin/Arthur, Morgana/Leon. Used to be "Merthur one-shots", but it's now just one.


**Hello! Sorry I'm not making another series; this is just a one-shot. Inspiration just hasn't hit me yet, but I hope it will soon! (This used to be a series called "Merthur one-shots", but I decided to just leave it as one)**

* * *

"Hey baby," Arthur whispered into Merlin's ear. The dark-haired man woke with a start, his eyes frantically darting around their bedroom. Arthur just chuckled, leading to Merlin's death glare.

"Why did you wake me up, Arthur? It's only 5:00!" Merlin complained.

Arthur sighed lovingly and ruffled Merlin's bed head. "It's that day, remember? Leon finally convinced Morgana to have a family reunion." That wasn't all, though. Arthur had something planned. Something that would make Merlin happy while simultaneously making Uther furious.

"Ugh. I forgot about that. When does it start?" Merlin was dreading the day. He hated seeing Arthur tense up whenever he went anywhere near his father.

"In about two hours," Arthur responded casually, stifling a yawn. He was still tired, but if he hadn't woken up, Merlin certainly wouldn't have.

"Two hours?" Merlin shouted. "It takes an hour to get to Morgana's house, which leaves us only an hour to get ready!"

"Do you really need an entire hour to get ready? I always knew you were a girl, Merlin," Arthur joked, bracing himself for his boyfriend's retaliation.

"Shut it, prat," Merlin commanded before moving his lips to meet those of his boyfriend.

Arthur was stunned; that was definitely not what he'd expected. He's not complaining, though.

Merlin just smirked at Arthur surprised face. The blond didn't make a peep, and Merlin knew the kiss had done its job: making that prat shut up.

* * *

Merlin stretched as much as he could in the cramped car, careful not to slap Arthur's face on accident. The tiny car and Merlin's lanky limbs didn't mix, but it's not like he has a choice in what car they drive. Or driving at all, since Arthur never gives him a chance.

"Are we there yet?" Merlin whined, not noticing how childish he sounded until it was too late.

Arthur let out a heavy sigh and rolled his eyes. "15 more minutes, love. I'm sure you can wait that long."

Merlin just turned to look out the window. They were on their way to Morgana's house, which happened to be an hour away from Camelot, in the middle of nowhere. Merlin had never liked Arthur's family much. Uther was a hypocritical jerk, and Agravaine was a disloyal brute. Morgana wasn't too bad, but she had her bratty and demanding moments. Quite often, actually.

Arthur, however, was focused on the road. At least, on the outside. On the inside, he was thinking of everything that could go wrong that day. Arthur knew it wasn't healthy, but he couldn't help it! For reassurance, he patted the box in his coat pocket.

* * *

When the couple arrived at the party, everyone was already there. Merlin could see Morgana with Leon, talking to Uther. Well, talking is putting it lightly. They were having a full-fledged battle; Morgana vs. Uther, with Leon trying to prevent a fist fight. It happened every time they were within 100 feet of each other.

"You should learn to accept him, he's your son!" Morgana was shouting.

Uther retorted, "Not anymore, he's not. Do you see?" He gestured towards Arthur and Merlin. "Arthur brought that -_boyfriend- _of his with him."

Arthur curled his hands into fists, feeling the rage spread over him. _How dare he talk about Merlin like that. He should be thankful. My love brings light to all that is dark. Oh well. He won't be just my boyfriend for long._

Merlin stood beside Arthur, noticing the fury in his eyes. Merlin simply sighed. He knew Arthur meant well, but the last time he got this overprotective, Uther left with a black eye. As much as Merlin enjoyed Uther's pain, he hated when Arthur would snap in his father's presence. All of the compassion and love that Merlin had fallen for disappeared, leaving only the hatred for his father.

Arthur took deep breaths to calm himself, thinking of his plan. "Come on then Merlin, let's go say 'hi' to my father."

"What?" Merlin responded, surprised.

"You heard me, idiot." With that, Arthur grabbed Merlin's hand and dragged him over to Uther, Morgana, and Leon.

"Arthur!" Morgana squeaked, Leon smiling fondly at her.

"Arthur," Uther sounded seriously.

"Hello Morgana. Father."

Merlin tried to take a step back, sensing the tension, but Arthur grabbed him by the elbow and pulled him forward.

"Umm... hi," Merlin managed feebly, eliciting a giggle from Morgana and a scowl from Uther.

Arthur turned to walk away, and Merlin followed, confused. Arthur had a smug grin on his mouth, but his eyes portrayed nervousness.

Once he felt they were far enough away from Uther, but not out of sight or earshot, Arthur stopped walking. He slipped his hand into he coat pocket and fumbled nervously with the box. The blond took a deep breath before settling down on one knee in front of Merlin. He refused to look at his father, but he could see the look of horror and disbelief out of the corner of his eyes. Instead, he focused on Merlin. Perfect Merlin, with his dark hair, pale skin, and oh-so-perfect cheekbones.

"Merlin," he began, taking in the look of wonder and love in Merlin's eyes. "I've loved you since the day we met, and as we spent more time together, that love only grew." A crowd had formed around the couple, making Arthur nervous. He took another deep breath. This was no longer about making his father uncomfortable. This was about Arthur's undying love for the dark-haired man standing before him. He continued, "You complete me. You could say we're two sides of the same coin!"

Merlin chuckled despite himself. That is what mum said once, and what his grandfather, Drake Kilgharrah, had said many times.

"Merlin Emrys, would you do me the great honor of becoming my husband?" At this point, Arthur had tears in his eyes.

"Of course, you dollop-head!" Merlin answered before smashing his lips against Arthur's. The crowd cheered, and Arthur cast a quick glance in the direction of his father. The strong man had tears in his eyes, and was smiling and clapping along with everyone else. The newly-engaged couple parted, and the crowd dissipated. Uther had disappeared into the mass of relatives, but Arthur had seen his understanding.

Merlin knew that Arthur's proposal had something to do with insulting Uther, but he didn't really care. Merlin knew how much Arthur loved him, and he was delighted to spend the rest of his life in Arthur's arms.


End file.
